The Thermal Visor is a visor in Metroid Prime, and it is the only Visor that is exclusive to Metroid Prime (although several aspects of the Thermal Visor carried over to the Dark and X-Ray Visors of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, respectively). It is acquired in the Research Core in the Phendrana Drifts.
The Thermal Visor uses thermography, allowing Samus Aran to locate enemies or objects by their heat signatures. It can be used to see Shadow Pirates and is also useful in dark places, extreme cold, and in poor weather conditions, like those in Phendrana Drifts; though it functions poorly in superheated areas, such as the Magmoor Caverns. It also overloads when Thardus' weak point is revealed.
Other uses for the Thermal Visor include locating Power Conduits to energize with the Wave Beam, allowing Samus to open unenergized doors (similar to the Nova/X Ray combo in Metroid Prime 3), locating Thardus' weak spot, and locating Metroid Prime when it becomes invisible to the Combat Visor and X-Ray Visor. However, one setback of the Thermal Visor is it can be overloaded via Phazon exposure, or strong thermal flashes such as small explosions. Additionally, when using the Thermal Visor, enemies which do not emit heat (such as the Mega Turrets) blend in with the environment and are much harder to target.
Official Metroid Prime websiteEdit
Weapon effect: N/A
Weapon range: N/A
Weapon potential: Non-Lethal
"Power Suit Upgrade
The Thermal Visor upgrades Samus Aran's Heads Up Display with the ability to see in the infrared spectrum. Hot objects are displayed in bright colors, and cool objects are dim. Samus uses the Thermal Visor to identify the weak points of certain foes, to see in the dark, and to improve visibility in poor weather conditions. Enemies with internal temperatures which do not vary greatly from their surrounding environments are difficult to identify through the Thermal Visor."
Metroid Prime manualEdit
"Once Samus finds the Thermal Visor, she can track enemies using their heat signatures. Not only does the visor help locate enemies hidden in dark areas, but it can also be used for acquiring alternate targets on enemies. A thermal scan can often find a hidden weak spot on an otherwise difficult enemy. Not only that, but thermal scans show other clues that the naked eye cannot discern; if you run into a dead end, try scanning the entire area with the Thermal Visor equipped."
| Combat Visor | Scan Visor | Thermal Visor | X-Ray Visor|
Dark Visor | Echo Visor | Command Visor
Hacker Mode | X-Ray Scope | Search View